Well, sometimes that is just the price you will have to pay...no snarky come-backs to the snarky remarks....but then you will be the GPS King and save the snarky folks for getting their butts lost at sundown! (in the winter, in a snowstorm - with rain - a limping horse - and a sore backside - can we add anymore to that list and yes, I know it will not be raining if it is snowing so how about a sleet storm - that would not be fun)

Gunslinger - I hope to get to the point where I can do that. I do have a compass and hope to learn to use it correctly.

I did have to learn to use one years ago when I took a certification in Scuba Diving. We had to navigate with a compass underwater. I have a very good sense of direction on roads but underwater - not so much!

My theory is that it takes a certain number of satellites to pinpoint it's location, so if the mountains or trees or whatever are blocking some of the signals it can't pinpoint it's location. I don't know how true that is, but that's my theory anyway!

Your theory is correct. That's exactly how GPS works (in a very basic sense). A GPS receiver needs three satelites in view to get a 2D (latitude and longitude) position and four to get lat, lon, and altitude.

I learned to navigate boats in HS back before GPS even existed, when its predecessor system (NAVSAT) only could fix your position two or three times per 24 hr period, and where Loran signals did not exist. I later became a Navy officer and was in charge of the navigation division on one of the ships I served. I'm also an FAA certificated airman with an instrument rating. Plus I've done lots of wilderness navigation out backpacking and ski mountaineering in the Cascades.

In short, I've been navigating on land, at sea, and in the air for virtually all of my adult life.

Of all that I've read on this thread, I'd have to agree with gunslinger the most. GPS and other electronic navaids are backups. A map and compass are primary. In fact, it would be wicked smart to plot your GPS position on the map at 30 to 60 minute intervals depending on your speed along with the time of the navigational fix.

Sure, I love the track log, and down load it to my computer, but the primary function of my gps is to give me a location, which I then place on my map.

If you want to learn to navigate effectively with the GPS, study and understand UTM. The meter system works very well as it's easy to work with when trying to pin point a location.
Buy paper topo maps of the area you're going to ride in. If the UTM grid isn't on the map then take a pencil and straight edge and grid the map.

Map and compass are more problematic in the steep mountains as it's difficult to find a reference in the bottoms, yet easier on the peaks.

I've ran into several people in the Cohutta's over the years who had no clue where they were, or how to get to where the wanted to be.

One person, left Dally Gap on the east side of the wilderness area and was going to make a loop, connecting to penitentiary branch trail, and back to Dally Gap.

He was actually at Alaculsy, on the west side of the wilderness area, 17 miles from where he wanted to be. When I showed him where he was, he didn't want to believe me.

My GPS has been saying weird things like that my moving average was greater than my maximum speed. Today it worked better I think. The numbers were more logical. Could it be that since I have been going very slow to wait for a timid rider that it has not been accurate? Today my horse spooked and bolted a couple of times making my maximum speed a bit higher. The only other thing that I did different was that I had the GPS in my saddle bag instead of in my jacket pocket. It was too hot to wear a jacket. Does 11.3 miles per hour sound like a logical maximum speed for a lazy ride? She just galloped forward for a couple of strides; didn't go far enough to get her speed up. It said that the average was 3 miles per hour and it must have been close because we went 3.2 miles in about an hour. So those who are experienced with these things, does it sound like it is working right?

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